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Clubhouse for recovery programs to open next year

Facility getting down to wire after lengthy fundraising, years of planning

After months of fundraising, a new nonprofit in Castle Rock that aims to provide space for groups like Alcoholics Anonymous says it is nearly ready to open a clubhouse for all kinds of 12-step programs to hold their meetings.

Amanda Flanagan helped spearhead getting the Castle Rock Clubhouse off the ground. She said the organization has exceeded its initial fundraising goal of $25,000, enough to move forward with a two-year lease for their new downtown location at 404 Jerry Street.

The future clubhouse is undergoing renovations and slated to open this January.

“People have been really excited about it and kind of coming out of the woodwork,” Flanagan said. “Once the doors open, it’s going to really take off.”

Meetings are planned each day of the week, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Marijuana Anonymous, a youth group and other programs. Once renovations are complete, the clubhouse will have a 30-person meeting room, a 20-person meeting room and an all-purpose room.

Board chairman Casey Kern said the clubhouse is more than two years in the making and will provide a critical, central location for the recovery community to gather.

“All the work is being done by people who are in recovery who want to help,” Kern said. “They are doing it pro bono.”

From the builders to the architects helping remodel the space, almost everyone involved has volunteered their time and manpower, Kern said.

Board secretary Elizabeth Blume said she’s met Castle Rock residents through her work and personal life who struggle with addiction and she believes the clubhouse will help to better serve the recovery community.

“We’ve needed it for a very, very long time,” she said.

They hope the clubhouse offers “a warm, welcoming and inviting space” where people recovering from addiction “will feel comfortable and accepted and loved,” Flanagan said.

She joined efforts to open the clubhouse in 2016 after moving to Castle Rock from New York. In her former home state, Flanagan said the recovery community offered a robust network of 12-step programs and meeting places.

Once in Castle Rock, Flanagan said, she felt the need exceeded the number of meetings available. She believed a clubhouse could provide another location for existing groups while also encouraging the start of new groups in town.

Flanagan, in speaking from her family’s personal experiences, said addiction doesn’t discriminate and affects people of all backgrounds. This past year she lost her 41-year-old brother to drug addiction after a years-long battle with substance abuse.

His death left Flanagan reinvigorated and more determined to open the Castle Rock Clubhouse, she said.

“No mother, no sister, no family member should have to go through the pain that we’ve experienced,” she said.

The nonprofit is now working toward its next goal of increasing donations and grant money to $50,000. If demand for the clubhouse continues to grow, they may look for a larger space, Flanagan said. In the meantime, she hopes people come to meetings if they are in need.

“There’s help out there,” she said. “Nobody should feel ashamed to reach out.”

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